Research On Religion

Matt Boswell on Building Redemption Church, Part II

tonygill — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 09:00:36 +0000

What does it take to create a church? In fall of 2011, we visited with Pastor Matt Boswell of Redemption Church in Duvall, WA. Matt and a number of other folks were charged with setting up a church within one week’s time and we had the opportunity to talk with him just a few days after they accomplished this seemingly impossible mission. In this interview, we return to Pastor Matt and first ask him to reflect upon that first chaotic week to see if he would have done anything differently. It turns out that with a few months of 20/20 hindsight that they would not have done anything differently and Matt talks about how God’s hand played a huge role in accomplishing the organizational tasks needed gather 500+ people for a Sunday service. We turn our attention then to the next month. After getting a chance to breathe a bit and catch up on some sleep, the leaders of Redemption Church were faced with the challenge of establishing by-laws, determining the requirements for church membership, and taking care of finding space to conduct their youth ministry and other small groups (cleverly called “re:groups” by Redemption Church). We start out by talking about the importance of having a permanent meeting place and how the church moved from meeting temporarily in whatever place they could find (including the homes and barns of members) to a more permanent location. Tony presses Matt about whether or not the church will have to move out of the high school auditorium eventually and the merits about having a permanent structure that is both the Sunday meeting place and weekday offices. Matt, who recognizes the high school is not a permanent solution, provides some interesting ruminations about what the future physical location of Redemption Church will look like, including the importance of making the building “uncomfortable” for the pastoral staff so that they don’t become too isolated behind church walls. Along the way, Matt tells some stories about how he had been “accidently” ministering in a local tavern and what this taught him about being a “church without walls.” Our discussion then veers towards the discussion of by-laws including how the church chooses its elders, trains them, establishes requirements for membership. Tony and Matt then share the story of how the congregation dealt with having Christmas services at a public high school and what happened when the power went out about a half hour before Christmas Day services. The interview ends with a brief discussion on the merits of denominationalism and whether or not Redemption Church has plans to join an established denomination. This is a great podcast for pastors or individuals who are interested in the background organization of churches. Recorded: January 9, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Redemption Church homepage.

Redemption Church Facebook page.

Research on Religion Facebook page.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church (Really Fast).

Scott Thompson on Youth Ministry.

Ryan Habig on Music Ministry (includes the free original song “With Us”).

Gary Scott Smith on Presidential Faith

tonygill — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:00:46 +0000

A week before Presidents’ Day, we visit with the chair of the Department of History at Grove City College, Prof. Gary Scott Smith to survey the faith of various presidents in US history. Our discussion opens with some thoughts as to why it is important to understand the religious underpinnings of the occupants of the White House. Prof. Smith then reveals who he considers both our most and least religious presidents. Our coverage of individual presidents proceeds slightly out of chronological order as we first dip into the interesting spiritual background of Dwight Eisenhower and how his beliefs reflected the nature of the 1950s. We then step back in time to discuss Thomas Jefferson and the controversies surrounding his theological leanings. Prof. Smith offers up his perspective on Jefferson’s famous “wall of separation” quote. We then cover George Washington and Abraham Lincoln before moving into the 20th century. Whilst in the 20th century, our survey of presidents encompasses the beliefs and practices of Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. We briefly make reference to Richard Nixon before moving to our two most recent presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Finally, Gary offers up some thoughts on whether or not Mormonism will become an issue for Mitt Romney should he secure the nomination of the Republican Party in the 2012 elections. At the very end of the interview, Tony professes ignorance about much of what was discussed and wonders why he is so lacking in knowledge. Prof. Smith provides us a few thoughts about the state of historical education as pertains to the faith of our presidents. Recorded: January 13, 2012.

Faith and the Presidency: Religion, Politics, and Public Policy from George Washington to George W. Bush, by Gary Scott Smith.

Heaven and the American Immagination, by Gary Scott Smith.

RELATED PODCASTS

Mark David Hall on Religion & the Founding Fathers.

John Fea on Religion & the American Founding.

Mark David Hall on Richard Sherman, Puritan Patriot.

Rodney Stark on the Triumph of Christianity, Part 1

tonygill — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:54 +0000

In 2012, Christians represented roughly 2.8 billion people (or 40%) of the world’s 7 billion inhabitants. How did a small group of individuals representing what could be considered a Jewish sect on the outskirts of the Roman Empire succeed in become the world’s largest faith tradition. Prof. Rodney Stark, co-director of Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, discusses his new book The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion. While that books spans over 2000 years of world history, our focus is on the century leading up to “Christmas Eve” (Christ’s birth) and the three hundred years that followed. Prof. Stark details the religious landscape of the Roman Empire at that time, starting with the sectarian nature of Judaism and then discussing what paganism was all about and how there was a tendency towards monotheism and what implications that had for Christianity. We then discuss several other sociological factors that played a role in the expansion of Christianity, including the role of mercy (and health care), the paradoxical effects of persecution, the surprising socio-economic status of early converts, and the important role that women played in the early Church. Rod also discusses some recent understandings of who Jesus was and why this mattered. We finish with the conversion of Constantine and Rod hints at what consequences this had for the medieval Christian Church, which will be a topic of future conversation. Recorded: January 6, 2012.

The Rise of Christianity, by Rodney Stark.

God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark.

The Victory of Reason: How Cristianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success, by Rodney Stark.

For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery, by Rodney Stark.

Discovering God: The Origin of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief, by Rodney Stark.

Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion.

RELATED PODCASTS

Rodney Stark on the Crusades.

Jim Papandrea on the Church Fathers.

Brant Pitre on the Jewish Origins of the Eucharist.

Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary

tonygill — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:11 +0000

What is it like to be a young missionary in a foreign country that is undergoing major religious and legal changes? Allison Pond, an editorial writer at the Deseret News (Utah) and formerly with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, recounts her days as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Russia from 1997 to 1998. Mormons are well-known for their missionizing activity around the world, so we explore the preparation, training, experience, and results of such missionizing work. Allison begins by describing her spiritual upbringing in the LDS Church and reveals that she never thought of mission work until volunteering for a youth program while at BYU. She then discusses the process for being selected as an LDS missionary, which includes an interview with a local bishop. We inquire as to whether her work teaching English in Moscow played a role in her being selected for her to missionize in Russia. Following this, we look at how Mormons, who are mostly young adults at the time, are trained in the Missionary Training Center and what goes on during the first few weeks in the field. We discuss language training as well as preparation for hostile situations. Allison then tells us what it was actually like to be in the field, especially the anxiety she felt on the first day and how this dissipated over time. The typical routine of a missionary is discussed and we also focus on what is like to be a female missionary, considering that roughly 80% of all Mormon missionaries are young men. We then discuss the changing religious scene in Russia and what complications that may have played in the mission trip. Russia, which experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, initially allowed a great degree of religous freedom leading to a rapid influx of foreign religions. By 1997, the Russian Orthodox Church was pushing back with intensified rhetoric against foreign missionaries and with legal changes that made it difficult for such folks to operate. Allison closes with some reflections about what she learned while on her sojourn and provides a bit of “looking back” advice for people considering missionary work, be it for the LDS Church or any other faith. Recorded: January 6, 2012

RELATED LINKS

Allison Pond’s biography at the Deseret News.

Allison Pond’s “Houses of Worship” column for Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and reprinted in the Deseret News.

Mormons in America at The Deseret News.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

RELATED PODCASTS

Patrick Mason on anti-Mormonism and Mitt Romney.

Michael McBride on Religious Free-Riding and the Mormon Church.

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching.

Scott Thompson on Youth Ministry

tonygill — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:27 +0000

Are the kids alright? Scott Thompson, the youth pastor at Redemption Church in Duvall (WA), says “Yes! The kids are alright!” And so begins our discussion of what it takes to minister to kids as they move through their teen years. Tony presses Scott to explain why he was drawn to this particular type of ministry and in doing so we learn about Scott’s upbringing and how he eventually became involved as a youth minister by his late 30s, making it a paid career by his late 40s. Our conversation then turns to why youth programs tend to change as students enter their “middle school” years (roughly age 11 – 13) and how older teen groups are also different. Scott reveals a number of the challenges facing individuals in this age range, but through surveying and talking with kids has found that their biggest concern is how they appear to their peers; building and maintaining friendships among kids their age often trumps other serious issues that they may be facing at shool or home. Scott then details some of the ways that Redemption Church’s two youth ministries — one for middle schooler and the other for high schoolers — works with students. We discuss the importance of volunteers, weekly meetings, fun weekend outings, and summer camps. Scott reveals what goes on during a typical Wednesday evening youth group. In addition to fun socializing activities and a general discussion session (or sermon), youth are put into small discussion groups to reflect upon that week’s message in relation to their own lives. We also find out about some of the more popular weekend events such as sleeping on the streets of Duvall and “ice blocking.” Scott shares the general ideas that motivate these events and recounts some of the more memorable moments he has had. We also discuss the role of parents in youth ministry and discuss some of the legal protections a church needs in working with youth. Finishing up the interview we have a special guest — Victor Gill — who gives us an idea what a youth ministry looks like from the eyes of an eleven year old. Recorded: December 6, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Redemption Church (Duvall, WA) and the Redemption Church Facebook page.

The 412 Youth Group at Redemption Church.

The Revolution Youth Group at Redemption Church.

RELATED PODCASTS

Matt Boswell on Starting a New Church.

Ryan Habig on Music Ministry (includes a free musical song).

Byron Johnson on Religion and Delinquency.

Andrew Hoffecker on Charles Hodge and Princeton Theological Seminary

tonygill — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:00:07 +0000

Happy Birthday Princeton Theological Seminary! To help celebrate the PTS bicentennial, Research on Religion offers up the gift of a discussion on one of its most prolific theologians, Charles Hodge. Prof. Andrew Hoffecker, emeritus professor of history at the Reformed Theological Seminary, discusses his new biography of Charles Hodge (1797 – 1878). Rev. Hodge epitomizes many of the different theological and social tensions that were confronting both the Presbyterian Church and the United States during the first half of the 19th century. We begin by tracing Hodge’s life and decision to pursue an academic career at the recently created Princeton Theological Seminary and spend time looking at his two year sojourn in Germany to experience some of the new intellectual trends appearing at the University of Berlin. Halfway through our discussion, Prof. Hoffecker and I ruminate about the effect that intellectualized seminary training may have on the emotional aspects of spiritual faith and how this might affect denominations. We then return to the United States and look at Charles Hodge’s academic career, including the founding of The Princeton Review and his various positions on controversies dividing Presbyterianism, most notably the 1837 schism. Andy also touches upon Hodge’s positions regarding religious education, Catholicism, and slavery – controversies that were roiling during Hodge’s long career. Our conversation finishes with Prof. Hoffecker discussing Rev. Hodge’s impact on American religiosity and society at large. We note the important role that Hodge played in shaping the evangelical and fundamentalist movements that were to appear at the turn of the 20th century. Recorded: December 30, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

W. Andrew Hoffecker’s website at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Charles Hodge: The Pride of Princeton by W. Andrew Hoffecker.

Piety and the Princeton Theologians by W. Andrew Hoffecker.

Princeton Theological Seminary.

RELATED PODCASTS

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Timur Kuran on Islamic Economics

tonygill — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:00:59 +0000

What is Islamic economics? Prof. Timur Kuran, professor of economics & political science and the Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies at Duke University, gives us a superb summary of the emergence of this intellectual movement and shows how the principles of Islamic economics have been implemented. Prof. Kuran begins by defining what this movement is and when it emerged. It is revealed that although the ideas behind Islamic economics harken back to early Muslim history, the modern manifestation of this thinking dates back to the 1930s when Sayyid Abul-Ala Mawdudi, an Indian Muslim, grew concerned over Muslim indebtedness to Hindus and how this would play out in the nation’s eventual decolonization. Timur also recounts how this thought is related to the more general Islamist movement that began growing during the middle part of the 20th century. Our conversation then turns to some of the specific policy prescriptions offered up by Islamist economists, including prohibitions on interest and the promotion of social welfare via the traditional zakat. Prof. Kuran explains the logic behind these proposals as well as some of the unintended consequences introduced by Islamic banking and efforts to centralize zakat via government fiat. The discussion is not only useful for understanding some current themes within Islam, but it is also a great primer on basic economics. Recorded: December 29, 2011.

Islam & Mammon: The Economic Predicaments of Islamism by Timur Kuran.

The Long Divergence: How Islamic Law Held Back the Middle East by Timur Kuran.

Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification by Timur Kuran.

RELATED PODCASTS

Timur Kuran on Islamic Law and Economic Development.

Jared Rubin on Christian and Islamic Economic History.

Nathan Brown on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Chris Beneke on Religion, Markets, and the Founding Era

tonygill — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:00:33 +0000

In the past few decades, scholars have increasingly described the American religious landscape as a “free market” of religion. This often occurs in discussions of the Founding era (late 18th century) with some historians claiming that the architects of the US Constitution meant to create a “free market” of faith. Prof. Chris Beneke, associate professor of history at Bentley University and director of the Valente Center for Arts and Sciences, joins us to discuss the appropriateness of this metaphor and the rational choice approach to religion. Tony gets things started by looking at the defintion of “metaphor” and questioning whether or not scholars are using the term “market” metaphoricallly or whether it is a useful analytic framework. Chris does note several uses of “free market” as metaphor by historians and we then launch into a discussion of the use of microeconomics and rational choice theory to understand religion. Our exploration of this topic moves to the colonial era of the United States and the drafting of the US Constitution, most notably the First Amendment as pertains to religious freedom. Prof. Beneke provides an interesting discussion of what “religious liberty” meant during this historical epoch, noting that “liberty” is a subtly different concept than “choice.” He also makes a strong case for using a political metaphor — democratization — for understanding the religious times of the late 18th century. Recorded: December 22, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Chris Beneke’s website at Bentley University

Valente Center for Arts and Sciences at Bentley.

Beyond Toleration: The Religious Origins of American Pluralism, by Chris Beneke.

The First Prejudice: Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Early America, edited by Chris Beneke and Christopher Grenada.

RELATED PODCASTS

Larry Witham on the Economics of Religion

Mark David Hall on Roger Sherman, Puritan Patriot

John Fea on Religion and the American Founding

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening

Sean Everton on Dark Networks

tonygill — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 17:00:48 +0000

Dark networks are clandestine organizations that often, but not always, engage in nefarious behavior. Over the past several decades, scholars and minitary strategists have become increasingly interested in how these dark networks operate and how they can be disrupted. Prof. Sean Everton, assistant professor in the Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), discusses how he has used network theory to understand such clandestine organizations. We begin by chatting about how a graduate student in sociology with no military background ended up at the NPS and also what the NPS is all about, including who the students are and what they are taught. We then go on to define “dark networks,” noting that although they are mostly associated with nefarious activities such as drug smuggling or terrorism, sometimes such underground organizations can have beneficial purposes. As for the latter, Prof. Everton points to the efforts of Catholic nuns to shelter Jewish children in Germany during the Holocaust. We then discuss how and why religious groups often enhance the effectiveness of dark networks, noting the work of Larry Iannaccone and Eli Berman on this subject. We then turn to Prof. Everton’s research with Nancy Roberts on how such networks can be disrupted, focusing on two general strategies: kinetic and non-kinetic. The former (kinetic) strategy includes the direct targeting and (often violent) removal of key individuals from networks with the intent of disrupting its operation. We also talk about how militaries around the world are trained to identify and break apart dark networks, a process known as “capacity bulding.” The non-kinetic approach to network disruption includes various tactics such as psychological operations, misinformation campaigns, institution building, and the rehabilitation of members within these dark networks. Our conversation finishes with a few observations on one of Sean’s other passions, baseball. Recorded: December 13, 2011.

Common Operational Research Environment (CORE) Lab on Facebook.

God, Politics, and Baseball - Sean Everton’s personal blog.

RELATED PODCASTS

Eli Berman on Religious Terrorism.

Monica Toft on Religion, Violence, and Civil War.

Ron Hassner on Sacred Space and Conflict.

Byron Johnson on More God, Less Crime.

Ryan Habig on Music Ministry and “With Us” (a Habig original song)

tonygill — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:00:14 +0000

Hear the internet premier of Ryan Habig’s “With Us” and, as a free added bonus, hear some of the folks from Redemption Church (RC) sing “Oh Come All Ye Faithful” just in time for the holiday season. Ryan, the music (and everything else) pastor at Redemption Church in Duvall, WA shares his thoughts on why music is essential to worship and why he walked down this path. Tony asks if he ever gets nervous on stage, why he sometimes closes his eyes, and how the venue can affect the whole dynamic of worship. This is the second episode in an ongoing look at Redemption Church, a startup church in a rural town in Western Washington (the first being our interview with the lead pastor, Matt Boswell). We explore Ryan’s upbringing to see what motivated his love of music and why he chose to major in this at Azusa Pacific University in California. Ryan reflects upon his training at APU and gives us an idea of how well his college focus on music and ministry has helped in his current position. He then leads us through a typical work week as musical pastor sharing how he selects the music team, chooses the music, obtains copyright permissions, and organizes the practice. Add to this all his other duties managing the church website and getting the graphics set up for the Sunday service and you get a better picture what goes on behind the scenes to make a church service for a congregation of 500 meeting in a high school auditorium successful. And at the very end of the podcast, Ryan talks about the motivation behind his original composition “With Us” and then does an acoustic version of this song. Music industry reps take note; this happens to be one of RC’s most popular songs… and for good reason. As a special holiday encore, Tony convinces Ryan and a group of congregants at the RC office to sing along to a standard Christmas hymn. In this podcast you will also learn how useful Tony’s college philosophy courses were and what instrument he used to play (and why). Recorded: December 6, 2011.

RELATED LINKS

Redemption Church website.

RELATED PODCASTS

Robert Coote on the 27 Most Popular Hymns and Amazing Grace.

Jim Houser on the Contemporary Christian Music Industry.